Over Colombus Day weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to travel with my good friend and fellow volunteer/activist, Andrew, to the Outer Banks in NC for the East Coast Surfrider Conference. We learned about how to get new members and keep existing ones; we learned about the Rise Above Plastics Campaign and Ocean Friendly Gardens; we learned how to make better use of social media; how to engage the younger generation; we met a bunch of really cool people; and yeah... we surfed!

Just off the jet and about to sample VA Beach surf... Andrew waxing up his new stick for the first time. The water was warm and we did not wear wetsuits. There were thousands of dolphins out there. Super unexpected!

Cruising through the tobacco fields of the south.

After a day of inspiring conference lectures we had fun exploring a bit and then surfing Jeanette's Pier until the sun went down.

Originally opened in 1939, Jeanette's was the first fishing pier in Nag's Head. In 2003 it was sold to the Aquarium and in September of the same year, incurred major damage from hurricane Isabel. It was rebuilt under the guidance of the Aquarium and reopened in 2009 as an "educational ocean pier".

Designed to be "Green & Clean". The most obvious of the many environmentally-friendly features of the rebuild are the wind turbines that generate stored power to light the pier at night.

Moonrise meets another sunrise through a vintage half-frame camera.

Morning pelicans in flight.

Nag's Head Sunrise Appreciation Club. One more before beginning the journey home.

We stopped in at Barrier Island Surf Shop along the way.

Over the Wright Memorial Bridge...

Back in VA Beach. On our way to get one more pre-flight session in when Andrew spotted this lil guy.

Please check out Surfrider.org. Consider becoming a member (or renewing a lapsed membership!). Find a campaign that interests you whether it is reducing your plastic footprint or making your garden more ocean-friendly. Help create strength in numbers. Know that there is a place for you and that you are needed in whatever capacity you have available. Hope to see you at the next chapter meeting!

Last Saturday was rainy and windy up in NH but I was still stoked to take part in Surfrider's Rise Above Plastics: Raptoberfest. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness regarding the dangers of plastic pollution and to focus on solutions. Volunteers scoured the beach for plastic debris. We then organized them into mosaics. It was easy (unfortunately) to find more than enough plastic for our artwork.

Stop using single-use plastic water bottles. In
nearly all cases, the water out of your tap is just as safe – if not
safer – than the water distributed in single-use plastic bottles.
Instead, buy and use a reusable bottle and fill it with water.

Whenever possible, buy food in bulk. Buying food in bulk helps to reduce the total amount of packaging materials consumed.

Stop using plastic grocery bags. Each year over
one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. Because these bags are so
light and thin, they are easily carried by the wind out into the
environment. Instead, use reusable bags to get your groceries and other
purchases home.

Say “NO” to pre-packaged single serving portions. These types of products are among the worst when it comes to excess packaging.

Reusable containers are rad! When it comes to lunch
and leftovers, ditch the plastic bag and use reusable containers
instead. Reusable containers are just as easy to use and far less
harmful to the planet

Buy a reusable travel mug. Use a reusable travel
mug or to-go cup for your coffee, tea and other beverage purchases.
Think of all the lids (as well as the waxed paper cups) you’ll save.

Always look for alternative packaging. Many items
such as soft drinks, detergent, cat litter, etc. come in alternate
packaging (such as aluminum or cardboard) that can be more easily
recycled than plastic.

Buy and sell secondhand. Clothing, toys, baby
gear, furniture, household supplies, sporting goods and many other
consumer items can often be found through secondhand sources, thereby
reducing the amount of new plastic entering the waste stream.

Recycle! In those instances where you must use plastic, please make sure to recycle it. Most plastics can be upcycled to make cool and useful items, including Rusty ECO-stretch boardshorts!

These plastic "sewer discs" are just a few of the estimated 4-8 million that escaped a water treatment facility in Hooksett, NH back in March 2011 along with thousands of pounds of raw sewage. Though a massive cleanup effort has been in the works all spring/summer, they continue to wash up - sometimes in large numbers. It will be interesting to see how far these have traveled when we look at other chapter's photographs.